Fantasy Baseball 2017: Position-by-Position Rankings

Fantasy Baseball 2017: Position-by-Position Rankings

0 of 10

Four names you should know: Jose, Mike, Miguel and Xander.Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

It's time to start preparing for the upcoming fantasy baseball season.

Sure, most drafts are still at least a month away. But nobody wants to be caught unprepared, forced to rely on the preset rankings supplied by whatever site your league uses, manically flipping printouts as you search for a worthy selection while the clock runs out on you.

On the pages that follow, we'll delve into the top 20 players at every position (top 40 for outfielders and starting pitchers), identifying at least one player at each position who just missed the cut but should remain firmly on your radar.

These rankings are based on a standard, five-by-five mixed rotisserie league. While they're applicable in other types of leagues, you'll have to adjust the rankings based on the scoring system you'll be playing under.

Let's get started.

Catcher

1 of 10

Gary SanchezJim McIsaac/Getty Images

Rank

Player (Secondary Position)

Team

1.

Buster Posey (1B)

SF

2.

Gary Sanchez

NYY

3.

Jonathan Lucroy

TEX

4.

Willson Contreras (OF)

CHC

5.

J.T. Realmuto

MIA

6.

Evan Gattis (OF)

HOU

7.

Yasmani Grandal

LAD

8.

Salvador Perez

KC

9.

Brian McCann (1B)

HOU

10.

Russell Martin

TOR

11.

Welington Castillo

BAL

12.

Yadier Molina

STL

13.

Matt Wieters

FA

14.

Stephen Vogt

OAK

15.

Francisco Cervelli

PIT

16.

Cameron Rupp

PHI

17.

Tom Murphy

COL

18.

Derek Norris

WAS

19.

Mike Zunino

SEA

20.

Wilson Ramos

TB

Overview

No, you won't find Kyle Schwarber's name on this list, and for good reason—the Chicago Cubs slugger only played the outfield in his injury-shortened 2016 season. He no longer qualifies as a catcher, and it's unlikely he'll spend any time behind the plate in 2017.

A big reason for that is the presence of Willson Contreras, who along with Gary Sanchez has tremendous upside and figures to put up impressive numbers in his first full season in the majors.

Speaking of catchers whose names start with the letter "W," Welington Castillo's power figures to get a nice bump now that he's playing half his games in Baltimore. That puts him ahead of the player he's replacing, Matt Wieters, who is still searching for a new home.

Normally, Wilson Ramos would be ranked far higher than 20th, as he's one of the few catchers who can provide value across multiple categories. But he's still working his way back from a torn ACL that ended his season in September. He may not be ready to contribute until May or June, if not later.

One to Watch: Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati Reds

A slew of injuries limited Devin Mesoraco to just 39 games over the past two seasons, making it easy to forget all about his breakout 2014, when he hit .273 with 25 home runs, 80 RBI and an .893 OPS. But the 28-year-old is healthy and hellbent on proving he's capable of putting up big numbers once again.

There's immense risk in taking him, but there's a potentially high reward if he can stay on the field.

First Base

2 of 10

Freddie FreemanJim McIsaac/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

1.

Paul Goldschmidt

ARI

2.

Anthony Rizzo

CHC

3.

Miguel Cabrera

DET

4.

Joey Votto

CIN

5.

Freddie Freeman

ATL

6.

Edwin Encarnacion

CLE

7.

Daniel Murphy (2B)

WAS

8.

Matt Carpenter (2B/3B)

STL

9.

Jose Abreu

CHW

10.

Ian Desmond (OF)

COL

11.

Wil Myers

SD

12.

Eric Hosmer

KC

13.

Hanley Ramirez

BOS

14.

Chris Davis

BAL

15.

Brandon Belt

SF

16.

Carlos Santana

CLE

17.

Albert Pujols

LAA

18.

Adrian Gonzalez

LAD

19.

Brad Miller

TB

20.

Justin Bour

MIA

Overview

There's a deep pool of quality first basemen to choose from this year, with every player in our top 10 a candidate to build your offense around.

Ian Desmond may not have first base eligibility right away, but assuming Colorado sticks with its plan of converting the shortstop-turned-outfielder into a first baseman, he'll pick it up heading into the second week of the season.

One To Watch: Greg Bird, New York Yankees

After missing all of 2016 due to shoulder surgery, Greg Bird is back and the favorite to replace the retired Mark Teixeira at first base in the Bronx. He has a swing that's tailor-made for Yankee Stadium and put up big numbers (.261 BA, 11 HR, 31 RBI, .871 OPS) in just 46 games down the stretch in 2015.

Second Base

3 of 10

Jose AltuveBrandon Wade/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

1.

Jose Altuve

HOU

2.

Trea Turner (SS/OF)

WAS

3.

Daniel Murphy (1B/3B)

WAS

4.

Robinson Cano

SEA

5.

Brian Dozier

MIN

6.

Rougned Odor

TEX

7.

Ian Kinsler

DET

8.

Dee Gordon

MIA

9.

DJ LeMahieu

COL

10.

Jason Kipnis

CLE

11.

Matt Carpenter (1B/3B)

STL

12.

Dustin Pedroia

BOS

13.

Jean Segura (SS)

SEA

14.

Jonathan Villar (3B)

MIL

15.

Ben Zobrist (OF)

CHC

16.

Logan Forsythe

TB

17.

Jonathan Schoop

BAL

18.

Starlin Castro

NYY

19.

Brandon Drury (3B/OF)

ARI

20.

Cesar Hernandez

PHI

Overview

How deep is second base in fantasy this year? Jean Segura hit .319 with 20 home runs, 33 stolen bases and a National League-leading 203 hits—and he couldn't crack our top 10. You could rest comfortably knowing you had any of these guys holding things down at second base.

One To Watch: Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs

The only reason Javier Baez doesn't crack the top 20 at second base (or at any position) is because we don't know how the Cubs are going to use him. Will he be the team's everyday second baseman, or will manager Joe Maddon deploy him as a super-utility player once again?

Baez's upside makes him a worthy selection late in drafts as it is, but if his role becomes more defined, he's a player you can take confidently in the middle rounds of your draft.

Third Base

4 of 10

Kris BryantEzra Shaw/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

1.

Josh Donaldson

TOR

2.

Nolan Arenado

COL

3.

Kris Bryant (OF)

CHC

4.

Manny Machado (SS)

BAL

5.

Kyle Seager

SEA

6.

Matt Carpenter (1B/2B)

STL

7.

Adrian Beltre

TEX

8.

Evan Longoria

TB

9.

Todd Frazier

CHW

10.

Jonathan Villar (2B)

MIL

11.

Jose Ramirez (OF)

CLE

12.

Anthony Rendon

WAS

13.

Justin Turner

LAD

14.

Alex Bregman

HOU

15.

Jake Lamb

ARI

16.

Miguel Sano (OF)

MIN

17.

Maikel Franco

PHI

18.

Eduardo Nunez

SF

19.

Ryon Healy

OAK

20.

Jung Ho Kang

PIT

Overview

I gave serious thought to ranking all four of the elite third basemen—Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant, Josh Donaldson and Manny Machado—as the No. 1 choice at the position, but that seemed like the easy way out. That said, you can't go wrong taking any of them in the first round: They're all worthy.

The only real risk at the position lies at the end of our top 20. Maikel Franco and Miguel Sano need to take the next step in their development, while Eduardo Nunez is no lock to replicate his production from a career-best season. Jung Ho Kang could be disciplined for his role in an offseason DUI incident, and Ryon Healy could lose his job in Oakland to Trevor Plouffe, who Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday has signed with the A's.

One To Watch: Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals

A torn ACL ended Mike Moustakas' 2016 early, but the adjustments he made to deliver a breakout season in 2015 remained in place, evidenced by the 13 extra-base hits (seven home runs) he put on the board in 27 games before getting injured.

He's become something of an afterthought, but if he's healthy, Moose is worthy of a mid-round selection. A return to—or improvement on—his 2015 form (.284 BA, 22 HR, 82 RBI, .817 OPS) could easily be in the cards this season, which just so happens to be his walk year.

Shortstop

5 of 10

Corey SeagerDenis Poroy/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

1.

Manny Machado (3B)

BAL

2.

Corey Seager

LAD

3.

Carlos Correa

HOU

4.

Francisco Lindor

CLE

5.

Xander Bogaerts

BOS

6.

Trea Turner

WAS

7.

Trevor Story

COL

8.

Jonathan Villar (2B/3B)

MIL

9.

Jean Segura (2B)

SEA

10.

Aledmys Diaz

STL

11.

Addison Russell

CHC

12.

Brad Miller (1B)

TB

13.

Troy Tulowitzki

TOR

14.

Elvis Andrus

TEX

15.

Dansby Swanson

ATL

16.

Didi Gregorius

NYY

17.

Eduardo Nunez (2B/3B)

SF

18.

Brandon Crawford

SF

19.

Asdrubal Cabrera

NYM

20.

Marcus Semien

OAK

Overview

Shortstop isn't quite as deep a position as second or third base, but you can find plenty of value through the middle rounds of your draft if you'd prefer to not burn an early pick on one.

Troy Tulowitzki didn't have a typical Tulo season statistically (that he didn't play in more than 140 games is nothing new), but the former perennial MVP candidate still finished with 24 home runs, 79 RBI and a .761 OPS. That's not horrible, and he can likely be snagged later in most drafts than he should.

One To Watch: Orlando Arcia, Milwaukee Brewers

Orlando Arcia didn't do anything to impress at the plate in his first taste of the big leagues, but the 22-year-old remains full of upside and has the potential to be a solid contributor in fantasy this season. While his power is still developing, Arcia could, at the very least, help in batting average and steals.

Outfielders (1-20)

6 of 10

Mookie BettsBillie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

1.

Mike Trout

LAA

2.

Mookie Betts

BOS

3.

Kris Bryant (3B)

CHC

4.

Bryce Harper

WAS

5.

Trea Turner (SS)

WAS

6.

Charlie Blackmon

COL

7.

Starling Marte

PIT

8.

Christian Yelich

MIA

9.

Ryan Braun

MIL

10.

Giancarlo Stanton

MIA

11.

Carlos Gonzalez

COL

12.

J.D. Martinez

DET

13.

Nelson Cruz

SEA

14.

Andrew McCutchen

PIT

15.

Yoenis Cespedes

NYM

16.

George Springer

HOU

17.

Gregory Polanco

PIT

18.

Ian Desmond (1B)

COL

19.

A.J. Pollock

ARI

20.

Kyle Schwarber

CHC

Overview

What I wrote last year about our top 20 outfielders holds true this year: "Any player who lands in our top 20 is a fine choice to serve as the anchor of your outfield; he's someone you can insert into your lineup on Opening Day and never have to remove (unless injury forces your hand)."

One To Watch: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates

Don't sleep on Andrew McCutchen, for rumors of his demise are exaggerated. He battled multipleinjuries early in 2016 that contributed to his career-worst season, and there's no doubt he's going to fall in upcoming drafts. But take a look at how he fared once he was healthy:

Split

BA

OPS

XBH (HR)

RBI

BB/K

April to July

.241

.719

34 (15)

43

35/107

August/September

.284

.852

19 (9)

36

34/36

Those are solid numbers. He may never get back to MVP levels of production, but McCutchen can still be a productive member of your fantasy squad.

Outfielders (21-40)

7 of 10

Odubel HerreraRich Schultz/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

21.

Billy Hamilton

CIN

22.

Jose Bautista

FA

23.

Justin Upton

DET

24.

Stephen Piscotty

STL

25.

Adam Jones

BAL

26.

Matt Kemp

ATL

27.

Adam Eaton

WAS

28.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

BOS

29.

Mark Trumbo

FA

30.

Khris Davis

OAK

31.

Andrew Benintendi

BOS

32.

Michael Brantley

CLE

33.

Lorenzo Cain

KC

34.

Marcell Ozuna

MIA

35.

Ben Zobrist (2B)

CHC

36.

David Dahl

COL

37.

Odubel Herrera

PHI

38.

Miguel Sano (3B)

MIN

39.

Jose Ramirez (3B)

CLE

40.

Dexter Fowler

STL

Overview

These aren't the building blocks of your fantasy outfield; rather, they're complementary pieces to someone from the top 20. Whether it's a proven veteran you're looking for or a youngster with upside, there's something for everyone on our second tier of outfield talent.

One To Watch: Ender Inciarte, Atlanta Braves

He's not a big name, doesn't offer much in the way of power and plays for a rebuilding team. But Ender Inciarte is a multiple-category contributor, offering help in batting average, runs scored and stolen bases without killing your team's OPS.

Starting Pitcher (1-20)

8 of 10

Max ScherzerRob Carr/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

1.

Clayton Kershaw

LAD

2.

Max Scherzer

WAS

3.

Chris Sale

BOS

4.

Madison Bumgarner

SF

5.

Corey Kluber

CLE

6.

Noah Syndergaard

NYM

7.

Jon Lester

CHC

8.

Jake Arrieta

CHC

9.

Justin Verlander

DET

10.

David Price

BOS

11.

Johnny Cueto

SF

12.

Carlos Carrasco

CLE

13.

Chris Archer

TB

14.

Stephen Strasburg

WAS

15.

Jacob deGrom

NYM

16.

Carlos Martinez

STL

17.

Yu Darvish

TEX

18.

Masahiro Tanaka

NYY

19.

Jose Quintana

CHW

20.

Aaron Sanchez

TOR

Overview

Every player in our top 20 is a legitimate No. 1 starter for your squad, and depending on how your league values pitching, it's not a bad idea to snag two of these arms in the early part of your draft.

Starting Pitcher (21-40)

9 of 10

Gerrit ColeJustin Berl/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

21.

Zack Greinke

ARI

22.

Gerrit Cole

PIT

23.

Kyle Hendricks

CHC

24.

Rick Porcello

BOS

25.

Cole Hamels

TEX

26.

Kevin Gausman

BAL

27.

Kenta Maeda

LAD

28.

Michael Fulmer

DET

29.

Julio Teheran

ATL

30.

Felix Hernandez

SEA

31.

Danny Duffy

KC

32.

Danny Salazar

CLE

33.

Anthony DeSclafani

CIN

34.

Matt Harvey

NYM

35.

John Lackey

CHC

36.

Tanner Roark

WAS

37.

Drew Pomeranz

BOS

38.

Marcus Stroman

TOR

39.

Dallas Keuchel

HOU

40.

Rich Hill

LAD

Overview

You can still find frontline fantasy starters in this group, though in a perfect world you'll already have at least one hurler from our top 20 plugged into your rotation, giving your squad multiple quality arms to lean on throughout the season.

One To Watch: Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics

Seemingly overnight, Sonny Gray went from fantasy stud to stomach-turning dud. One of the game's premier starters in 2015, Gray was downright awful in 2016, pitching to a 5.69 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. If he's healthy and looks to be back on track in spring training, Gray is worth taking a flier on.

Relief Pitchers

10 of 10

Zach BrittonMatt Hazlett/Getty Images

Rank

Player

Team

1.

Zach Britton

BAL

2.

Kenley Jansen

LAD

3.

Aroldis Chapman

NYY

4.

Craig Kimbrel

BOS

5.

Roberto Osuna

TOR

6.

Mark Melancon

SF

7.

Edwin Diaz

SEA

8.

Wade Davis

CHC

9.

Ken Giles

HOU

10.

Jeurys Familia

NYM

11.

Andrew Miller

CLE

12.

Kelvin Herrera

KC

13.

Seung Hwan Oh

STL

14.

Alex Colome

TB

15.

Tony Watson

PIT

16.

Dellin Betances

NYY

17.

Cody Allen

CLE

18.

Francisco Rodriguez

DET

19.

David Robertson

CHW

20.

Raisel Iglesias

CIN

Overview

Unless you plan on punting saves and rolling with a starting pitcher that still has reliever eligibility (Kansas City's Danny Duffy and Toronto's Aaron Sanchez are among the arms who could fit that description), you're going to need a closer.

All but two of the relievers on our top 20 can fill that role for your fantasy squad. As for the two non-closers on the list, both Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller will supply plenty of strikeouts while keeping your ERA and WHIP in check.

Bear in mind that Jeurys Familia is likely to miss the first month of the season, as he's expected to be suspended for at least 30 games for violating MLB's joint domestic violence policy,per the New York Daily News' Kristie Ackert. That said, Familia is still a top-10 closer when he's eligible to play.

One To Watch: Ryan Madson, Oakland Athletics

Entering his age-36 season, Ryan Madson isn't the strikeout artist he once was. But the veteran reliever is slated to open the year as Oakland's closer, and if saves are all you're concerned with, he's good for 30 to 35 of them—assuming he doesn't get traded to a contender midseason.